Nat Smallish takes a peek at the grooves that display Third Man Records' logo on Kimmy Drake's most recent Sweat Records purchase: Jack White's "Sixteen Saltines" with a cover of U2's "Love Is Blindness."

Christina Mendenhall

Beach Day's Favorite Records and Musical Instruments (Photos)

Before shuttling photographer Christina Mendenhall and me around their beloved Hollywood, Florida, for a tour of their personal hideouts, the musical trio called Beach Day let us poke around their brains and living room. Besides the cats and dog running about, Natalie, Kimmy, and Skyler modeled a few other favorite things. Since they'll release their first seven-inch on Kanine Records next Monday at Radio-Active Records, it seemed appropriate that they discuss their favorite album of the moment and their current instruments of choice.

Nat's Album: Cults - Cults"I haven't had a favorite album since the Supremes that I can listen to over and over again," Beach Day bassist Nat laughs. Of the Cults album, she says, "It has a really old-school feel, but it's very modern. And it has the right amount of reverb. I feel like a lot bands now are afraid to use reverb. It's just very appealing to the ear. And I can relate a lot to the lyrics. [She sings about] a failed relationship and herself, and she's not talking about gimmicks. It's personal to me."

Christina Mendenhall

Kimmy's Album: Phil Spector's Greatest HitsKimmy scooped up this baby at the Los Angeles Amoeba Records a few months back. "It has the Crystals, the Ronettes -- it has all of the classic Phil Spector stuff," she says. "It's two records." Pretty unbeatable cover too.

Christina Mendenhall

Skyler Album: Beach Boys - Pet Sounds"There's nothing new to be said of Pet Sounds. It's just the most beautiful record ever made," Skyler points out thoughtfully.

Christina Mendenhall

Nat's Big BassThe Danelectro bass pictured here is a reissue and on loan to Nat for their tour. "It's very rare to find those," Nat says. "It has a really natural distorted fuzz to it that's really cool."

Christina Mendenhall

Kimmy's Green GuitarThings Kimmy likes about her '67 Hornet reissue are that it's very light, it doesn't hurt her shoulders, and it has a matte-green color she hasn't seen elsewhere. "It's a Danelectro, which is my favorite brand," she says. "I've been playing them for years. I have four of them. But this one's my favorite."

Christina Mendenhall

Skyler and His Drum"It's from the '60s," Skyler says. "I got it from a vintage drum forum. It's chrome over aluminum. And they don't make snare drums like that anymore. It has this very specific classic '60s sound I thought was important."

SUCCESS!

Liz has her master’s degree in religion from Florida State University. She has since written for publications and outlets such as Miami New Times, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Ocean Drive, the Huffington Post, NBC Miami, Time Out Miami, Insomniac, the Daily Dot, and the Atlantic. Liz spent three years as New Times Broward-Palm Beach’s music editor, was the weekend news editor at Inverse, and is currently the managing editor at Tom Tom Magazine.